Opportunity Is Now: Lawmakers hope the new Administration will open new ag export markets

As the Trump Administration works to balance U.S. trade books, lawmakers on the Ways and Means Committee are frustrated with a lack of progress over the last four years.

Congressman Randy Feenstra of Iowa says the Biden Administration opened zero new trade markets.

“So when you talk about export markets, whether it be corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, we haven’t opened anything; cattle, hogs, dairy, and now we have that opportunity. We’re really working with the Administration right now. Everyone is hearing about tariffs, but I’m also hearing about the opportunity to have new export markets for all our commodities, and that’s exciting to hear about.”

Feenstra says there are a lot of exciting things on the horizon for agriculture, and he hopes to see greater market access over the next four years.

Related Stories
Argentina hopes to boost demand, but critics see the move as a blow to American farmers.
U.S. produce growers face a structural disadvantage—cheaper imports driving down prices while rising labor costs squeeze margins. Without new policies or technology, profitability remains uncertain.
Herd rebuilding looks slow, keeping cattle prices supported; beef-on-dairy crosses help fill feedlots, while imports temper—but don’t erase—tightness.
China is making strategic moves by purchasing more soybeans from Argentina and may soon follow the EU and reopen its market to Brazilian chicken exports.
Lamb prices have seen a surprising surge driven by a tight supply and increasing demand in non-traditional markets.
Farmers should watch for soybean export rebounds with harvest, while corn and wheat shipments remain strong and sorghum demand struggles.